Perfect Days (2023 film)
Hacker ApprovedRanked 2 of 24 films by recommenders
People recommend it as a quiet, sweet film about a Tokyo public toilet cleaner's simple routine that prompts reflection on one's own life.
People recommend it as a quiet, sweet film about a Tokyo public toilet cleaner's simple routine that prompts reflection on one's own life.
20 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 19
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 95%
Recommended in 9 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 19 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 19 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 9 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Prompts reflection on own life
“It is one of those films that gave me a new perspective on things, may it do the same for you.”
Comment from 8 Mar 2026 in “Ask HN: How to Be Alone?” “perhaps could find some solitude in Wim Wenders' Perfect Days for a few hours”
Comment from 10 Mar 2026 in “The Gervais Principle, or the Office According to "The Office"” “It had a profound effect on me in introspecting my long software career.”
Comment from 12 Sep 2026 in “Fuck it, make it anyway” - Comment from 1 Nov 2026 in “Restrooms along the Norwegian Scenic Routes”
Strongly recommended as must-watch
“Perfect Days is an amazing film which I recommend everyone reading to check out”
Comment from 3 Sep 2026 in “I wanna live an NPC life” “To anyone with this kind of nostalgia I'd recommend watch 'Perfect Days'.”
Comment from 1 May 2026 in “The X-Files Has Made Me Nostalgic for a Time I Never Experienced” “My favorite movie of all time.”
Comment from 1 Nov 2026 in “Restrooms along the Norwegian Scenic Routes” - Comment from 1 Nov 2026 in “Restrooms along the Norwegian Scenic Routes”
Glimpse of Japanese public toilets and culture
“Perfect Days (2023) from Wim Wenders. Even though he is not japanese it's a very japanese film”
Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “Roger Ebert Reviews "The Shawshank Redemption"” “For a glimpse into public toilets in Japan, do yourself a favour and watch 'Perfect Days'.”
Comment from 1 Nov 2026 in “Restrooms along the Norwegian Scenic Routes” “had a nice illustration of sunakku”
Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Inside the secret world of Japanese snack bars” Simple, purposeful life portrayed
“It is about a man living a very simple life as a public cleaner in Tokyo”
Comment from 3 Sep 2026 in “I wanna live an NPC life” “a fascinating study of a man and purpose”
Comment from 1 Nov 2026 in “Restrooms along the Norwegian Scenic Routes”
Other films people recommend
The four most recommended other films, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Odyssey by Christopher Nolan | 50 | 37 | 57% | 7 | — | — |
| Perfect Days (2023 film)This page | 19 | 1 | 95% | 9 | — | Approved |
| The Secret Agent (2025 film) | 18 | 9 | 67% | 2 | — | — |
| One Battle After Another | 17 | 14 | 55% | 5 | — | — |
| The Rocky Horror Picture Show | 15 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | Approved |
What people said
17 of the 23 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“a fascinating study of a man and purpose”
“a must watch for everyone”
“Great film with great acting and great music.”
“My favorite movie of all time.”
“For a glimpse into public toilets in Japan, do yourself a favour and watch 'Perfect Days'.”
“It had a profound effect on me in introspecting my long software career.”
“Perfect Days is an amazing film which I recommend everyone reading to check out”
“It is very good. It encapsulates part of my favorite danish psalm”
“It is about a man living a very simple life as a public cleaner in Tokyo”
“To anyone with this kind of nostalgia I'd recommend watch 'Perfect Days'.”
“The movie Perfect Days captures this perfectly.”
“It's a really sweet film.”
“perhaps could find some solitude in Wim Wenders' Perfect Days for a few hours”
“It is one of those films that gave me a new perspective on things, may it do the same for you.”
“those seem pretty hard to argue with”
“Perfect Days (2023) from Wim Wenders. Even though he is not japanese it's a very japanese film”
“had a nice illustration of sunakku”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.